Checkout lines might soon be getting a lot shorter for some Kroger shoppers.
The Cincinnati-based company told Business Insider it's expanding its "Scan, Bag, Go" app service to 400 more stores in 2018.
Here's how it works, though. A customer can either use their smartphone with Kroger's "Scan, Bag, Go" app grab a portable scanner at an entrance to ring up items they put in their cart and it will keep a tab, adding discounts and offer applicable coupons. Once the shopper is finished, all they need to do is head to the check-out line to bag and pay for their groceries.
Eventually, the company said the app will alow customers to pay for their goods immediately through the app and skip the checkout aisle completely. It's unsure how bagging will work in that case, but if true all bets are on reusable bags becoming a popular option.
It's also unsure if any East Tennessee stores are included in the expansion at the moment. Kroger said its tests in Ohio were successful, so it decided to expand the service to more markets this year.
A quick check of the app's reviews on the Apple App Store and Google Play show mixed reception at the moment, granted less than 100 people at 15 Kroger stores have rated the app between both platforms and a new update dropped Monday to fix "minor bugs."
Over the past year, many complained the app either wasn't working for them at all or would incidentally delete the list of items in their cart if they didn't follow certain steps, and some even said the process took longer overall than the current self-checkout. Others said the app works fine and made checkouts quicker.
Most agreed that the idea of "scan as you go" was a great concept, though we'll have to wait and see if it works as intended once it rolls out to more stores.